Safety-shield for can-caps



V. ODQUIST. SAFETY SHIELD FOR CAN CAPS.

APPLICATION FILED Amzs. 1919.

1,385,578, Patented July 26, 1921.

UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR ODQUIST, 0F YONKEZRS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 030- AMERICAN CAN COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY-SHIELD FOR CAN-GAPS.

- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 26', 1921.

Application filed April 23, 1919. Serial No. 292,109.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, VIoroR Oo UIsr, a citizen of the United States, residing in Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety-Shields for Can-Caps, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relatesin general to safety shields for vent holes of tin or other sheet metal cans, and has for its object broadly the provision of a simplified and improved device of this character.

In the packing of food in tin containers, and especially so in packing meat products, it is necessary to leave a small vent-hole in the cap-covering the filling hole of the can. This filling hole is closed with a fianged'cap and the heat generated within the can during the soldering of this cap produces an expansion of the air or gas in the can and'this vent-hole is necessary to permit the escape of this expanding air or gas so that it will not cause pinholes in the joint during soldering. It is necessary to fill cans containing meat as full as possible so that there is no space whatever left in the can after it is soldered and processed; this brings the meat product up in close contact with the under surface of the cap and without some means to hold it slightly away from the vent-hole the meat particles would enter this hole and obstruct the passage of the expanding air or gas. Also in processing meat products one of the steps consists in vacuumizing the product through this vent-hole and then closing the hole under vacuum. This vacuumizing has a tendency to draw meat par ticles into the vent-hole and interfere with the process.

An object of the invention is the provision of a shield which may be attached to the cover without requiring the use of solder. The vent-hole is usually formed by merely punching through the can cover, and my invention contemplates as one way of obtaining this result the interlocking of a safety shield with the bur left within the cover and about the vent-hole as a result of this punching operation, using it as a hollow rivet.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a safety shield that will effectively permit the outflow of the gases during processing the contents, and retain any solder dropping into the can as a result of the closing of the vent-hole.

A further and important object of the invention is the provision of a safety shield that may be formed and positioned without requiring an extensive equipment or a considerable number of operations.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the inventionwill be apparent as it is better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing,

Figure 1 is a bottom plan View of a cover equipped with a shield and both embodyin my present invention. v

- *ig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the shield before the final assembling operation, and

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

For the purpose of illustrating my in vention I have shown on the drawing a can cover or top 11 of the usual simple construction and provided with a solder hem 12 for soldering it to the can body after the can body has been filled as a preliminary to the processing. This cover is provided with a central vent-hole 13 in order that during the soldering process the gases generated may pass out of the can, and it is of course intended that after the contents of the cans have been processed or vacuumized this vent-hole will be closed by a drop of solder. The vent-hole in the can on the drawing has been formed in the usual fashion by merely punching through, this punching leaving the usual resulting bur 14. In order that solder in closing the vent-hole may not be permitted to drop through the venthole and into the contents of the can and that gases may escape freely without obstruction during processing, I have pro vided a safety shield comprising a'conical disk member 15 and a tongue or part 16 extending out at one side. The conical member 15 is fluted or bent as indicated at 17 in order that when the shield is in position, as will be presently described, the. exit of the gases may not be hampered.v The tongue 16 is provided with an aperture 18 adapted to fit over'the bur 14: and this bur is subsequently mashed down to form a riveted connection leaving the opening or vent-hole 13 unobstructed. part 15 is bent over into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 and in full lines in Fig. 1. To facilitate this bending, notches 19 are provided where the tongue joins the disk and it has been found that whenthe metal is bent on the weakened line intersecting these notches, the disk will be accurately located .with reference to and under the vent-hole and will press firmly against the under face of the cover and thus'extend about the vent-hole, behind the vent-hole and also behind the tongue. In the present instance contact is not essential since the shape of the disk itself would cause itito catch and retain any solder dropping through, andfacilitate the exit of the gases when tight contact is made, as will of course be readily understood. It will be manifest that 'no changes in the cover construction are necessary by reason of the provision of the shield and while it has an interlocking connection with the cover this connection does not require a provision of beads or other parts.

' It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be under stood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scopelof the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages,

Thereafter the conical disk the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

1. The combination of a can cap having formed therein a vent hole, the part of the cap displaced in making saiidhole forming a tubular pivot,%and a safety shield mounted on said pivot under the vent hole.

2. The combination of a can cap having formed therein a vent hole, and a safety shield formed with a narrow lateral tongue attached to the cap at said vent hole, said tongue being'bent to locate the shield under the vent hole} i a 3. The combination of a. can cap having formed therein a vent hole, and a safety shield formed with a narrow lateral tongue attached to the cap at said vent hole, said tongue being! weakened at a point of bending'so that the bending thereof locates the shield accurately under the vent hole.

4. The combination of a can cap having formed therein a venthole, and a safety shield in the form of a radiallyfiuted disk arranged under said vent hole, said disk having a-narrow tongue which is rebent and attached to the cover at said vent hole.

Signed in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

vror'on ODQUIS-T. 

